Indo Canadian International Film Festival (ICIFF) is an initiative curated by BEACON – Bharatiya Entertainment Arts Culture Outreach Network, a Canadian organization dedicated to promoting the rich tapestry of Indian cultural heritage. From traditional arts, music, dance, literature and various cultural expressions. We strongly believe that the transformative influence of arts and culture, positively impacts society fostering creativity, and a sense of identity. The goal of this film festival is to showcase a vibrant celebration of the diverse cinematic art forms and storytelling hailing from various film industries across the world, emphasizing on India and Canada.

Our festival aims to showcase "Cinema Beyond Cultures," by uniting creative minds on a single platform by providing an opportunity to aspiring film makers to showcase their cinematic brilliance from world-wide, emphasizing Indian and Canadian art forms. Through this initiative, we aspire to bridge the gaps, and cultivate an inclusive environment where creative artists and technicians alike can thrive, united by a shared passion for storytelling and a collective quest for identity.

While Indian heritage has deeply enriched the Canadian society for over a century, often epitomized by the allure of "Bollywood" for film enthusiasts, it's time to broaden the narrative. As a Canadian organization representing the Indian diaspora, we would like to recognize the imperative to shine a spotlight on many overlooked cinematic gems, elevating not just films but the artists and technicians behind them onto the international stage.

Awards & Prizes

All the winners and finalists will receive a digital official laurel and certificate sent and can receive a trophy during the gala event on the event date if present in person or via mail*. Some awards may include a cash prize if funding is available. We plan to further update on our prize fund as we move closer to the festival. We are proud to present the following awards:

Best Feature/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian]
Best Animation Feature/Short Film
Best Music Video - Global
Best Director - Feature/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian]
Best Actor/ Actress - Feature/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian]
Best Cinematographer - Feature/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian]
Best Editor - Feature/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian]
People Choice Awards & more

*Winners who cannot make it to the final gala event to collect the trophies in person can request to get them mailed by paying the courier charges. More details will be sent to the winners in the notification email before the gala event.

Notification of festival selection
• You will be notified of festival selections on or around mid-late August, 2024
• If selected, a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) – including a request for press kit information and festival attendance RSVP will be sent to you.
• The NOA must be completed, signed and returned by the deadline listed in the NOA document, or your position in the festival may be offered to another film.
Gala Event
Only the trailers of the Winners in the best Featurette/Short Film [International/Indian/Canadian] will be screened at the Final gala event of the film festival due to time constraint. Along with the cultural performances that will reflect the Indian and Canadian heritage.
Film Review and Judging Process
Every film submitted to ICIFF will be evaluated under the guidance of the juror members who have voluntarily agreed to help us to make this festival a success. Our jury possess a diverse experience working in both various Indian films and North American films in different roles. This kind of guidance from varied experienced jury will allows to evaluate every film from a different viewpoint to select only the best.

More questions?
Contact: query.beacon@gmail.com

Rules & Terms

All films should be produced on January 1st, 2023 or later. Submissions produced prior to this date will not be considered and will be disqualified. The following is the eligibility criteria for the submissions under different categories.
• Feature/Short films under Indian category should have at least one cast or crew member from India or Indian origin and should be produced in India.
• Feature/Short films under Canadian category should have at least one cast or crew member from Canada or Canadian origin and should be produced in Canada.
• Feature/Short films that have at least one cast or crew member from India or Indian origin and produced in Canada can submit the entry in either India or Canada or both categories and vise versa.
• Feature/Short films under international category can be made in any country except India or Canada by any individuals that are not of these two countries.
• Feature films should be over 60 minutes in length, short films should be 10-15 minutes in length.
• Animation feature/short films can be from any country and should have a length of over 60 minutes for feature film and 10-15 minutes for a short film.
• Music Video - Global can be original or remix from any country and should be less than 5 minutes runtime length.
• BEACON, ICIFF reserves the right to request proof or student ID for any films submitted as a student.
• It is the responsibility of the submitter to make sure films have working links and passwords. Broken links will disqualify your film.
• All films submitted to ICIFF must be the original work of the filmmakers and have all the necessary right and clearances.
• To be a premier status movie, it should be classified by the consumer protection of BC (contact us for assistance) to be able to arrange a premier show as part of the festival.
• Filmmakers from the selected finalist of the entries will be notified by email with more details on the Gala event via email on or around mid-late August 2024.
• Any cash award if any will be shared equally to the producer and director.
• All Non – English language films must have English subtitles.
• Submission fees are non-refundable and absolutely no fee waivers unless authorized by the organizer.
• Format: .mp4, .mov
• Resolution: HD, 2k, 4k
(NO nudity, extreme violence or offensive language content will be disqualified and the fees won’t be refunded)
All decision made by the organizing committee will be final and no correspondence will be taken into account.

All entries must include the following:
a) Entry form completed on FilmFreeway.
b) Secure online screener
c) Pay submission fees.
d) Press kit including film synopsis, trailer, teaser, cast and crew information (including social media handles) with a vertical, horizontal marketing poster which will be requested if selected to be on the final list.

By submitting the entry, you agree that neither BEACON nor ICIFF or it’s organizing committee will be responsible to any damage or loss of the film, any claims and demands, losses, damages, judgments, liabilities and expenses, including attorney’s fees, arising out of in connection with any and all claims of third parties will be indemnified.

BEACON, ICIFF reserves the right to suspend, cancel or amend the promotion and/or review, revise the above rules at any time without prior notice by continuing to take part in the competition subsequent to any revision of these rules, entrants shall be deemed to have agreed to any such new or amended terms. Additionally, festival management reserves the right to decide all questions not specifically provided for in the terms.
You agree to understand that failure to comply with ICIFF guidelines will disqualify the entry and result in forfeiture of the submission fee paid. By submitting your film to ICIFF, you grant all the rights to use clips, images, and/or sound from your film for promotional purposes in the form of, but not limited to, print, radio, TV, and Internet media.

You acknowledge and agree to the risks associated with in person public screening and/or streaming content online. ICIFF screening venues and virtual portal, that is used to host the films in digital format and stream these online, provides security features, however this is not a guarantee that content piracy or other unauthorized distribution cannot occur. As such you agree to indemnify ICIFF and it’s parent organization, individual from any responsibility for piracy or unauthorized distribution of content. In the rare instance that film piracy or unauthorized distribution may occur, you acknowledge the responsibility for the detection and investigation rests with you. ICIFF will provide assistance where possible, however you acknowledge this responsibility sits with you. If any provision of these rules is held invalid by any court of law or similar, such invalidity shall not affect the enforceability of any other provisions not held to be invalid.

• Important Note – In the initial submission phase – DCP will not be acceptable. However, if the feature film is chosen for screening, filmmakers will later be given the option of sending in the DCP for that purpose.

More questions?
Contact: query.beacon@gmail.com